Just Below the Surface
by InnerChildRulez
Summary: This is set four years after Danny gets his powers. An old enemy of Danny's returns and is planning revenge. Sam is hurt and something strange happens to her. Can Danny figure out what is going on and who did this to her before it's too late? DXS
1. It Can't Be

**A/N: Hi! Well, first off I should say this is my first Danny Phantom fanfic so I don't know how it will go over with anyone yet. If you see any problems or do not like something, please write a constructive criticism, not just a flame stating that I suck. Thanks. Anyway, on to the show! **

**Disclaimer: This is going for ALL of the chapters of this story because I know I will forget later on anyway- I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters therein, they belong to Butch Hartman. I do however own Liza and David and any others I may come up with later. **

Chapter 1: It Can't Be!

It was quiet in the Ghost Zone, but then, it was always quiet there. A few ghosts floated aimlessly about; some planning their next break into the human world and how they would control it while others just reminisced about their former lives. All in all it was a normal day there. None of them paid any heed to the abandoned building floated on the outer reaches of the Zone which housed a great evil. An evil they had forgotten about after the half human half ghost boy sealed him away forever just four years prior.

Two glowing red eyes opened, the only things visible in the darkness encasing him. For four long years this ghost had been building up his energy for the day when he would free himself. During that time, he had remained in a deep sleep, planning, dreaming of getting his revenge. A smirk formed unseen on his face. Now. Now was the time. The time was right. He could feel it. He began to build up a bright green ectoplasmic energy force. This force grew and grew around him, causing the already tight spaces to become tighter. He did not mind this, for he knew that soon, soon he would no longer have to reside inside such a cramped space. Soon he would be able to put his plan into motion. His cage began to crack under the pressure, the glowing green of his ecto-energy seeping through the outermost shell of his confinement. With a roar of rage, a roar of triumph, a roar of excitement, he brought his energy to the maximum level it could go and broke free of his cage. A resounding _crack_ echoed throughout the building, muffled from the outside and the hearing of the other ghosts by the thick walls.

He slumped to the floor of the building, exhausted. Slowly, he could feel his energy regrouping, strengthening him once more. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, watching the swirling green patterns of the glowing ectoplasm outside reflecting there. He tossed one arm over his eyes, relishing the moment of freedom. He could see again. He could hear the low murmurs of the other ghosts who did not know he was free yet. A grin crossed his face, showing from underneath his forearm. He would deal with them later. He remembered what they had done before. He would get his revenge on them as well. He dragged his arm from his face and slowly sat up, the grin sliding off his face as if never there. But first he had to deal with _him_. The one who had locked him away. The one who had beaten him so easily it seemed. The one who he would gain much pleasure from torturing. He stood up to his full height. He could feel his excitement racing just underneath his skin, inside his very veins. A chuckle escaped him at this thought. He could barely remember feeling this, it had been so long, and yet it felt so familiar at the same time. His chuckle grew as he began to levitate off of the floor. Soon his chuckles had grown into loud laughter.

This caused the other ghosts to pause in what they were doing, their eyes drifting over to the dark building that it was coming from. He could hear the low murmurs growing as fear erupted in their hearts. It could not be! It simply could not be! He relished in their disbelief, gained even more power from the knowledge that he could do this to them just by laughing, by breaking free when no one thought he ever could. His laughter grew ever stronger and louder as he gained speed in his ascent, finally bursting through the ceiling he had previously been studying.

"I am FREE!" he shouted, arms raised in triumph. He cast a disdainful look over the ghosts staring up at him in frozen disbelief. He paused then, floating high overhead them, studying them silently. He descended to the ground, such as it was, before them.

"Boo. . ."

The group of ghosts let out a small shriek of disbelief before taking off to places unknown. With a smug feeling of satisfaction, he took off once again toward his main objective. If all went as planned he may feel nice enough to let those who lived here already go with just the knowledge that he was back and could obtain revenge at any time he pleased. He chuckled once again as he flew towards a portal he knew would bring him to the human world and that of his foe.

"Beware, Danny, I am back and this time there is no stopping me. This time you will know pain greater than that which I have ever endured. I swear it!" He raced forward eager to bring about the demise of the young halfa currently unaware of his escape. His laughter echoed behind him making every ghost who heard it shudder from within their hiding spots.

_> > > > > > > > _

_He's a phantom,_

_Danny Phantom, phantom, phantom,_

_**Yo Danny Fenton, he was just fourteen**_

_**When his parents built a very strange machine**_

_**It was designed to view a world unseen**_

_He's gonna catch 'em all cause he's Danny Phantom_

_**When it didn't quite work, his folks, they just quit**_

_**Then Danny took a look inside of it**_

_**There was a great big flash, everything just changed**_

_**His molecules got all rearranged**_

_Phantom, phantom_

_**When he first woke up he realised**_

_**He had snow white hair and glowing green eyes**_

_**He could walk through walls, disappear and fly**_

_**He was much more unique than the other guys**_

_**And it was then that he knew what he had to do**_

_**He had to stop all the ghosts who were coming through**_

_**He's here to fight for me and you**_

_He's gonna catch 'em all cause he's Danny Phantom_

_He's gonna catch 'em all cause he's Danny Phantom_

_**Gonna catch 'em all cause he's **Danny Phantom_

_> > > > > > > > _

"Hey guys, wait up!"

It was this shout that caused two ebony haired eighteen year olds, one a petite female with striking lavender eyes and the other a slightly muscular male with soft sky blue eyes, to pause in the doorway of Casper High. As one they turned around to face the one who had stopped them. The sight that greeted them was another eighteen year old young man running up the street with one arm raised in the air, waving. They stepped out of the way of a few other students who were waiting impatiently to enter the school and waited for their friend. When he finally reached them he skidded to a halt, panting lightly. He used the pointer finger of his right hand to push his thick glasses further up over his teal eyes and grinned.

"If you had wanted some time alone, you lovebirds you, you could have told me. . ." He commented smoothly as he adjusted his red beret on his head, fixed his yellow long sleeved T-shirt, and finally pulled his coveted PDA from one of the pockets on his army green pants. Although slightly taller than when he was fourteen, Tucker was basically the same.

"TUCKER!" Twin cries of embarrassment erupted from his two friends. "WE ARE NOT LOVEBIRDS!" Tucker Foley, the techno geek of Casper High, burst into delighted laughter at the sight of the blushes covering his friends faces. No matter how many times he did that, he never got over how funny it was. He had known for a long time how much his friends secretly liked one another, even before they had admitted to themselves! Tucker shook his head, still laughing as he walked around them and into the school.

Meanwhile, his two friends were trying to will their blushes away before having to go into class. Samantha "Sam" Manson, the individualistic Ultra Recyclo-Vegetarian Goth, was the first to start walking. Like Tucker she had not changed much from her fourteen year old self. She still wore a black tank top with a purple oval on the front, a black skirt with green markings, purple leggings, and black combat boots. She had grown her hair out to the middle of her back, still in a half-ponytail held by a green scrunchie. She kept her head lowered as she walked through the hallways towards her locker to hide the blush and the glances she kept tossing towards Danny. Her other best friend, secret love interest, a young man constantly seen in a white tee with a red oval and trim on the collar and sleeves, jeans, sneakers, and hair that would never be tamed. None of them had changed much regarding their personalities or what they wore, but Danny had changed the most physically. With all of his ghost fighting throughout the years, he had filled out enough that if you knew where to look you could see the muscles he was forming.

"_And I definitely look. . ."_ Sam's blush brightened once again. By this time she had reached her locker and began fiddling with the lock. Somehow, this last year at Casper High the three friends had gotten lockers right next to each others. This is how Sam was able to kick Tucker in the shin as she entered the combination. Or tried to at least. Danny and Tucker had already gathered the required books and materials, so they were leaning on their lockers waiting for her. After several minutes of her muttering and trying to open it again and again, the hallway emptied of other students. She groaned, slamming her head against the cold metal.

Danny glanced over at her and grinned. "Locker won't open again, Sam?"

When she nodded, he chuckled and reached an intangible hand through the metal to grabbed what she would need. Sam smiled, nearing blinding Danny with how bright it was. He shook his head, starting to walk towards Lancer's room. This time it was Danny who groaned. Every year they had ended up with Mr. Lancer for an English teacher and every year Mr. Lancer would give Danny detention almost every day. The last bell to be in class sounded throughout the empty hallway.

Danny hung his head. _"Looks like I'll be in detention today. . . again! At least Sam and Tuck will be with me."_ They entered the noisy classroom slowly and Danny cheered up instantly. Mr. Lancer wasn't there yet. Happily, they slid into their seats seconds before Lancer trotted through the door.

"Forgive me class. . . I was unavoidably detained in the office. Let's get right into it. Open your books to where we ended yesterday and we will. . ."

Lancer's voice droned on. Several times either Sam or Tucker would nudge Danny awake. They wouldn't want him to get a detention just after narrowly escaping one before. After what seemed an extremely long time, the bell finally rang. The three friends all went in separate directions for their next classes, promising to meet up for lunch as always.

> > > > > > > > 

Sam was the first to get to their table. Since it was finally spring, they were eating outside. She dropped her books down and began to munch on her salad watching the door for Tucker or Danny. She tried to ignore how Dash and his group, including Paulina, were gesturing towards her and laughing. Finally, she saw Danny walking through the doors with a tray in hand. Sam raised one hand to get his attention and he, smiling, joined her.

"Killer test in Chem, Danny, watch out."

Danny paused in the act of sitting down and made a face. "Great! The one class to have a pop quiz and it's the one I _didn't_ get a chance to study for!"

"Who was it this time?" Tucker, who had suddenly shown up, asked as he placed his tray of three hamburgers down. Sam made a face as he immediately began to devour them.

Danny sighed. "The Box Ghost. I just don't get it! How does he keep getting out? And right after him that stupid dog ghost showed up wanting to play! By the time I got him to go home it was already 2 AM and I had to get some sleep." He suddenly turned to Sam. She sighed, knowing what he wanted from the puppy dog look he was giving her. "Sam. . . can I _please_ use your notes?"

"Sure." She opened her mouth to say something else when a blue mist escaped from Danny's mouth just as he opened it for the first bite. At his disgruntled look, she laughed.

"Of all the. . . Cover me guys!" With that he dove under the table, covered by his two friends whistling tunelessly as they leaned on the table. A flash of blue light emitted from below them, and Danny Phantom flew out from the center of their table just as the Fright Knight appeared right near Dash and Paulina's table. Paulina's scream was the signal of the mass exodus of students into the school building, except Tucker and Sam of course.

The Fright Knight slammed his sword through the A-List's vacated table. "You, boy, will come with me!"

Danny smirked. "I don't think so, Tin Man!" A large etco-plasmic energy ball began to build in his left hand. "I'm not the same fourteen year old Halfa you fought before. . . I've grown and so have my powers!" He tossed the energy ball at the Fright Knight. The Knight turned slightly and used his sword like a bat to knock the ball away from him, not noticing that Danny hadn't remained in one place to see if it had hit him. The fist that caught him under the chin, making him fly back into a tree across the lunch area, surprised the Fright Knight in more ways that one. Not only because he wasn't expecting it but it was also very powerful.

"_How is that possible? By my calculations he is only eighteen, he should not have more power than most in the Ghost Zone! The rumors must be true then. Now if only I can. . ." _Fright sprang to his feet. "You know not what you do." Fright had barely gotten that out when an ecto-beam caught him in the sword arm, his sword flying out of his grasp and embedded in the ground. Danny's feet touched the ground next to it and he threw a cocky grin Fright's way.

"Oh, but I think I do."

Tucker and Sam watched them in confusion, a feeling that something wasn't right growing within them. It was Tucker who finally spoke of this feeling. "Why isn't the Fright Knight attacking Danny? It's like he doesn't want to fight or something. . ."

Sam nodded and opened her mouth to speak when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Her face drained of all color and she began racing towards Danny, whose back was facing this new threat.

"NO! DANNY!"

It seemed like time slowed in the next few instants. Danny turned to find a large beam of ecto-plasmic energy heading for him and his eyes widened. Sam threw herself between the beam and Danny at the last possible second, knocking Danny back and getting hit by the beam full force. Tucker began running towards his two friends, a look of shock and panic on his face. The Fright Knight's hand moved and the sword came flying back to him as he raced over to where the beam originated from.

Time regained it's normal speed. Sam and Danny were lying in a motionless heap on the ground as Tucker fell to his knees by their sides.

Danny slowly sat up, holding a limp Sam against his chest. His eyes stared blankly down at her; the way her head hung strangely over his arm, her closed eyes, the extra paleness to her skin. He shook her, desperately trying to waken her. Danny Phantom disappeared as his head raised and his eyes focused on where the Fright Knight had run to.

"He killed her!"

**Hope you enjoyed thefirst chapter of my story and I hope to have another one out very soon! **

**R&R people. **

**Lotsa Love- ICR**


	2. The Void Within

**Hey all InnerChild here again, and I am sooooo sorry for how long it took me to get this out. I must have rewritten this chapter like six times before I decided it was finally ready to go on. Not only that but I totally made an a$$ of myself by falling down some stairs while babysitting and tearing the ligaments in my right foot. Word to the wise NEVER do that- hurts like a MoFo all the time and that's six weeks later. Again, I totally apologize for the late post to all who were waiting. I also want to thank the three people who reviewed for me Esme Kali Phantom, Horselvr4evr123, and jet-phantom-flame you guys ROCK:cookies for the three of you:**

**Remember- Reviews are good for the soul, getting updates, AND healing poor ICR's achin' foot. **

**Anyway- on with the show! **

Chapter 2: A Void Within

Danny Fenton drummed his fingers on the top of his desk as he stared at the clock. It was now almost the end of the school day and he was currently sitting in his last class. A class he usually shared with both of his best friends. Today, however, he was one friend short. His eyes swung toward Tucker, who looked just as impatient for the bell to ring as he. Their eyes met and they shared a grimace.

'_It's all my fault. . . she shouldn't have had to take that attack for me. I should have known!'_ Just a few hours prior, they had watched Sam loaded into the back of an ambulance. Although she had opened her eyes and tried to call out to Danny, the principal had insisted she go to the hospital to be checked out. Before Sam could say a word, she had blacked out and thus she was taken away. Danny placed his head on his desk, uncaring if his teacher grew angry at him for not paying attention. He squeezed his eyes shut to block out the image of Sam's terrified gaze searching for him. The way she had struggled to say something to him. He jumped when the school bell rang, indicating that they were free for the weekend. All of the students jumped from their seats, eager to be away from school grounds. It was almost comical that every student wanted to stop them as they put books away in their lockers and ask about what happened. Neither boy even slowed as they raced away from the building, heading first towards the hospital. Tucker had pulled out his cell phone and was busy calling Sam's parents Johanna and Stephen.

"Hello, Mrs. Manson, this is Tucker Foley; a friend of Sam's" A pause as Johanna spoke. "Yeah, we are out of school now and heading over. How is she?" He paused for a moment then skidded to a halt and reached out a hand to grab Danny's arm to stop him. "She's home? Can Danny and I see her?" Another pause and Tucker eyes darting to Danny. "I see. . . Please, can we see her for just a minute? Danny and I are so worried about her, you see" A pause and a grin. "Great! Thanks, Mrs. Manson!"

Danny waited impatiently for Tucker to tell him what was going on. "Well? How is she? Is anything wrong?"

Tucker sighed. "Your girlfriend hasn't woken up yet, Danny, but the Manson's insisted that "Sammy-kins" be treated by their personal doctors at home. Mrs. Manson will let us come over for a little while, but not too long."

Danny gave Tucker a wary look, choosing to ignore the girlfriend quip for the moment. They reversed course and headed to the Manson mansion. Neither boy spoke much on the way there not wanting to voice the concerning fact that Sam still hadn't awoken. Soon they arrived at the large brick building the Manson's called home. Danny pushed the doorbell and they heard it echoing in the large house. A few moments later a butler named Jensen in a dark suit opened the door. He smiled at them, knowing them from the times Sam had hung out with them there, and let them inside. "Miss Sam is in her room gentlemen. Mrs. Manson said I may bring you up there for fifteen minutes, no more."

The boys nodded and followed Jensen up the grand front staircase. They paused at the double doors to her bedroom and waited as Jensen knocked on the door.

> > > > > > > > 

Sam groaned, feeling as if someone had placed her brain in a vise and squeezed until it split in half. She lifted one hand to place it on her forehead to try to rub the pain away.

"Jeez, did anyone get the liscense plate number on the truck that hit me?" She cracked open her eyes to see if Danny was ok. It was the indescribable darkness that caused her to open her eyes wide. She could feel her heart begin to beat wildly in her chest. Sam had never admitted it to anyone but she was extremely afraid of the dark. She tried to push herself up, only to realize there was nothing to stand on and she was already upright. She looked down horrified at her hands. They were a bright white and they were transparent. She began to shake her head in disbelief.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made Sam's eyes swing to the left of her. There floated, for lack of a better term, a female ghost watching her. Sam glared at her, trying to hide her confusion, her fear.

"Who are you? And what did you do to Danny? Where are we? What do you want with me?"

The ghost floated closer to Sam. Now Sam was able to study her better. The young woman, for Sam judged that she probably had been around her own age at death, was taller than herself with long black hair that seemed to swirl about her on a constant wind. Her glowing blue eyes radiated kindness at Sam, kindness, fear, and sadness. "I am Liza and I did nothing to your Danny."

Sam drew back with a startled jerk and blushed. "He's not _my_ Danny. . . he's just one of my closest friends!"

Liza offered a small smile and clasped her hands together in front of her. This accentuated her slim figure and brought Sam's attention to her clothing. She wore a gown almost like that of the Dragon Princess Danny had fought years ago, only this one was a deep purple color with laces of pure white. She also wore two necklaces, one a small heart-shaped locket, the other a large golden pendant with a bright green gem. "Of course not, Sam." She looked down. "As for your other questions, we are in you. . . or well your mind." Liza glanced up at Sam quickly before staring at her feet again. "As to why I am here. . ." Her gaze flew upwards, panic evident in them. "I don't want to help him, I swear! I am his prisoner as much as you. I must. . ." The pendant suddenly flared to life. Liza cringed as the necklace suddenly sent waves of energy ripping throughout her body. Her body seemed to flicker and she cast another sad look at Sam. "I am sorry, truly sorry." Her voice faded and she disappeared.

Sam looked shocked for a moment, then looked around again. The darkness was oppressive. It seemed to close in on her, so she squeezed her eyes shut and thought of pleasant things. Danny and her at their freshman dance right after he beat the Princess. Danny and her flying to stop Ember.

Only she knew about the single tear that traced a path down her cheek as she thought of all the times she could have told Danny of her feelings. Now, it was too late. She didn't know exactly what was going on but it couldn't be good. Suddenly, a bright white light shone into her eyes. She brought one hand up to protect them until it faded to about the brightness of a tv screen and with it, sound. Sam's eyes widened as the scene came into focus. It showed her lying on her bed, motionless. A group of her parent's personal doctors stood clumped on one side of her bed talking to her family which was on the other side. Everyone looked sad and bewildered. The single female doctor there kept moving her hands as she spoke to her parents about Sam's condition. The sound of door opening brought Sam's attention that way. A hand flew up and covered her mouth as tears formed in her eyes. In walked a pale dark-haired boy with blue eyes radiating sadness. She acknowledged the fact that her other friend was there as well, but she was more concerned for the boy who held her heart in his hands. The boy who she had gladly jumped in front of a ecto-plasmic ray for.

"Danny. . ."

> > > > > > > > 

Danny and Tucker looked at one another when voices were heard on the other side of Sam's bedroom doors. Hesitantly, Danny and Tucker opened the doors, not knowing what exactly they would see. They saw three males and a female, all wearing long white doctor's coats standing on the left side of Sam's bed. The three elder Manson's; Johanna, Stephen, and Grandma Manson, were clumped on the right side, looking at the small, pale girl lying motionless on the bed. The two teenage boys crept in and stood next to Grandma Manson's scooter. The doctor's were hastily trying to explain why Sam hadn't woken up again. Danny could tell by hearing the trembling and uncertainty in their voices that they had no clue whatsoever. At the end of their pointless ramblings, all four lowered their heads sadly. Mrs. Manson closed her eyes briefly in pain as she heard her husband dismiss the doctors for now. When she opened her eyes again, she turned to find Danny and Tucker staring at Sam palely. She blinked owlishly at them for a moment as if she couldn't place them, but then gave them a strained smile.

"Hello Tucker, Daniel. . . Jensen told you fifteen minutes?" After receiving two nods from them, she touched her husband's arm, who had taken hold of his little girl's hand, and her mother-in-law, who was just staring at Sam as if by doing that she would awaken and say it was all a joke. "When you are finished visiting her, we would like to speak to you both." With that she tugged the rest of her small family out the door, leaving it open a few inches.

Danny immediately dragged Sam's computer chair from her desk and over to the right side of her bed. Once there he took up the hand that Stephen had recently been holding, his thumb sweeping back and forth across the top in a caressing manner. Tucker, for once, didn't make a crack about the oh-so-obvious feelings that Danny was showing. Or the fact that he saw tears in Danny's eyes before he bent his head down. Tucker dragged over another computer chair to the other side of the bed and took her other hand. Tucker studied the silent Sam for a few moments. It was odd. Sam didn't have a scratch on her and from what the doctors had said the CAT scans she had had at the hospital showed no damage whatsoever. She just looked as if she were sleeping, paler than usual, but simply sleeping.

"Doesn't all this seem odd to you Danny?"

Danny raised his head to look at Tucker. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, this," Tucker motioned towards Sam. "There is nothing clinically wrong with her. There is no reason she should be like this. . ." Tucker's voice lowered. "And what about that fight earlier? Didn't it seem a little too easy to you? It was like the Fright Knight wasn't trying to fight you." Tucker shook his head. "Something isn't right here. . ."

"I don't know," Danny sighed before his eyes flashed a eerie green. "But I'm gonna find out, even if it means I have to kick the crap out of every ghost in the Ghost Zone!"

They continued their quiet conversation, which ranged from who could be behind this and why to the things that had happened after the attack at school. The last was mostly Danny insisting that Sam was in there and could hear them. All too soon it seemed, Jensen knocked on the bedroom door. "Excuse me, sirs, but the fifteen minutes are up and I was told to tell you that they are waiting for you in the front parlor. Come with me, please."

The two boys stood, giving Sam's hand a couple squeezes as they promised to visit the next day. With sad, drawn looks Danny and Tucker followed Jensen down to the front parlor.

> > > > > > > > 

"I can see why you love him so. He cares a great deal for you."

Sam turned her head in surprise to see that Liza was back from wherever she had gone. "Danny?" Sam shook her head. "You're wrong, he is in love with someone else." A great void entered her soul at that admittance, almost causing her to cry out with the pain of emptiness. She watched as Liza raised an eyebrow at her and floated over.

"Do you truly love him?"

Sam hesitated. Then she shrugged. What harm could it do to admit it now. She was stuck inside her mind with a ghost who seemed kind to her and she didn't know why. "Yes, I do."

She grew confused as Liza's eyes welled up with tears. "Then the harm is even greater than I thought."

Sam didn't know what Liza could mean by that, but she still didn't like seeing the girl sad, so she floated over to her and placed a hand on Liza's shoulder. "Maybe if you tell me about it. . ."

Sam watched as Liza sucked in a deep breath. "I don't know much myself. I was peacefully living in the Ghost Zone with my love David." She opened the locket around her neck to show Sam, one side containing a picture of herself, the other side containing a picture of a handsome young man with kind green eyes and short brown hair. "We like to keep to ourselves mostly. You see, even in life neither of us wanted anything more than to be with each other." She smiled softly at the picture before closing it. "Then _he_ came. All I really remember was the door to our home bursting in suddenly. I was grabbed by the arm and he threw this necklace on me." Here she lifted the large golden pendant with the green gem for Sam to see. "After that. . . I was here watching you wake up. I don't know why, but the one who took me wants to punish that young man, Danny."

Sam stiffened. "Can you stop him?"

Liza shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm stuck in here. I have tried to leave your body to return to my home but. . ." She shrugged. "I keep getting pulled back here for some reason."

Sam sighed then looked at Liza curiously. "Where did you go just now?"

Liza sighed. "I don't truly know. I remember being zapped by this" She lifted the pendant. "and then. . . it was odd. I felt someone holding right my hand. I tried to open my eyes to see who it was but I couldn't. I kept hearing low murmuring from the other side of me. It faded a little then, but soon I felt a different person holding my right hand." Liza lifted said hand curiously. "For some strange reason, just having that hand touch my skin, just by being there, I could feel my body relax. I felt. . . safe. And I felt his intense sorrow and regret. I realised there were two people in the room now talking. The sounds faded in and out for a moment then I was back here and I saw you watching that." Liza pointed at the scene before them, which was now just Sam lying alone in her room. "I think I was somehow brought to your body's forefront. I felt what your body felt, heard what your body heard. Just from those few moments of feeling and then watching it, I can tell that the two of you truly care for one another."

Sam sighed again. "You must have just been feeling what I feel whenever Danny is around. I know for a fact that he is interested in someone else. I even have the ring he got her that he told me to hold for him!" She sat down cross-legged in the inky darkness and shrugged. "I've learned to accept that and I really don't want to talk about it anymore." Liza brought her hands up in a concillatory gesture and sat next to Sam. Then Sam turned to Liza and spoke gently. "Since there isn't anything else to do... tell me about yourself and your David. . ."

The ghost girl smiled and started telling Sam about the things David and her had gotten into while alive and then what they did after death. For the next several hours the two girls got to know each other and became friends. It seemed the two of them would be stuck here together for a while.

> > > > > > > > 

Danny and Tucker entered the front parlor to find Sam's parents sitting close together, holding hands on a small blue satin chaise. Sam's grandma was parked in front of the cold fireplace, staring into space. Three pairs of eyes flew over to the teens as soon as they arrived. Stephen motioned to another chaise that was positioned on the other side of a low table. Danny and Tucker walked in silently, knowing what they wanted to talk about. It was Stephen who started the conversation.

"Now, boys, I don't want to make it seem like we blame you at. . ."

"I do! If Sammy didn't hang around with this Fenton boy- the product of those crazy ghost hunting _freaks_- she wouldn't be in this mess!" Johanna broke down in tears.

Stephen squeezed the bridge of his nose with two tired fingers. "Johanna, stop. Daniel has never put our daughter in any danger. And I would bet our fortune that he would never do anything of the sort!" Neither noticed the look Danny and Tucker shared at that statement. Stephen turned an apologetic smile to Danny. "Please forgive my wife, we are just very shocked that our Sammy was the victim of a ghost attack. You must believe that we do not hold any grudges against your parents- or you."

Danny smiled painfully up at him. "Yes, sir."

At that moment Grandma Manson rolled over and placed a comforting hand on Danny's arm. She sent a small smile towards Danny. "He is correct young man. You have proved yourself to be an honorable young man when it comes to our Sam. We know that you would never let Sam get hurt if you could prevent it."

Tucker looked at them in confusion. "Is that what you wanted to speak about?"

"No. . ." This came from Johanna, who had calmed down enough to speak. "And please forgive me for that horrible outburst Daniel. I know that this is not your fault" An unnoticed wince from Danny. "and I should have never said as much. But our _baby_ is lying up there hurting from a ghost attack and we don't even know _why_?" Johanna voice spiked sharply on the last word.

"I understand, Ma'am. We are all in shock about this."

Johanna smiled gratefully at him. "Do either of you know why Sammy was attacked? Why did you three remain outside after the ghost arrived?"

Expecting this question, Tucker straightened his back and spoke up. "The ghost was between us and the door to the school. We thought it would be best to hide until he left."

"Yeah, because we didn't know what the ghost would do if he found us. The ghost kid, _Danny Phantom_" Here Danny stressed the name for people were still calling him Inviso-bill. "showed up to fight off the bad ghost. Once the first ghost was distracted by him, we took the opportunity to try and run for it."

"What we didn't know was that there was another ghost hiding in some bushes nearby. We don't know why, but once we jumped up to run a blast came from behind us and it caught Sam. Almost immediately the first ghost ran over to the bushed and disappeared. The ghost kid came over to see if she was all right but had to fly off when everyone ran out of the school." Tucker sat back for a moment and sighed.

"So that ghost boy had something to do with this?" Johanna shrieked in outrage.

Both boys stood up quickly and spoke together. "No way!"

"He was trying to protect us. He was the one who made sure she was alive. Neither of us could move when we saw Sam lying there so still and pale and. . ." Danny bit his lip, once again seeing his best friend and crush lying in his arms and thinking she was dead. It had only been the little gasping breathing he had heard when he had hunched over her in sorrow that alerted them that she was alive.

The Manson's nodded. "It would seem very odd if Inviso-bill" Here Danny rolled his eyes and muttered quietly to himself about getting a PR. "suddenly starting attacking people when he has been helping people for four years now." Grandma Manson stated quietly.

Not long after that statement Danny and Tucker were free to leave the Manson mansion, having permission to visit again the next day to see how she was doing. On the way out the door Danny stopped and turned to Jensen, who was seeing them out. "If she wakes up, or if anything happens. . . give me a call." He tugged a piece of paper and a chewed up pencil from his book bag and proceeded to write out his home phone and cell number. He handed it over to the butler. "Anything at all, at any time and I'll be right over."

With their heads lowered, Danny and Tucker turned and walked out of the mansion into the darkening evening. Jensen stood at the door watching them sadly, especially Danny. In the back of his mind he recognized the whirring sound of Grandma Manson's scooter coming up behind him. "That Danny sure does love my grand-daughter. You can tell by the look in his eye that he blames himself for this." Grandma Manson looked up at the long time butler for their family as he shut the door. "It will simply devastate him if. . ." She shook her head as she cut off that statement. The Manson mansion fell in a deep silence for the rest of the evening.

> > > > > > > > 

Tucker and Danny had stopped by Tucker's house briefly to grab some stuff for a "sleep over". As soon as possible the teens left Tucker's and walked over to Danny's house. Danny knew that his parent's wouldn't care- or possibly even notice- that there was an extra kid in the house that evening. The news that there had been a ghost attack at school would have them pre-occupied for the night. Danny just hoped they would go to bed reasonably early for Tucker and Danny to sneak into the Ghost Zone for some recon.

They expected it to be crazy at the Fenton household, it always was with two ghost-obsessed parents there. What they returned to was absolute pandemonium. Maddie and Jack Fenton could be seen racing up and down the stairs to the lab, mumbling to themselves and bumping into things. Just once Maddie stopped and greeted the boys, telling them Jazz had ordered a pizza. Danny walked into the kitchen to find Jazz hunched over the table moaning about her insane parents.

"Hey, Jazz. . ." Both boys greeted Danny's older sister and she lifted her head to flash an inquiring look at them both. She of course had heard what had happened and she was anxious to hear how Sam was.

"Hey, guys, how's Sam? She gonna be all right?"

Danny and Tucker pulled out a couple chairs and slumped into them, depressed looks on their faces. "She still had woken up. Her family has taken her home for their personal doctors to take care of, but so far they have no idea what's wrong. No broken bones, no bleeding, no brain damage or anything!" Tucker tossed up his arms in bewilderment.

Jazz darted a glance to Danny, whose head was lowered to the table cushioned by his arms. "How's Danny taking it?"

"He's. . ."

"Still in the room." Danny lifted his head to look at his sister. "_I'm_ fine. It's Sam I'm worried about. Like Tuck said, Sam shouldn't be knocked out for this long. We're thinking that some ghost. . ." Maddie Fenton raced into the room, causing Danny to abruptly stop speaking. Three pairs of eyes followed her frantic searching for something in one of the drawers. Suddenly, she made an "_Aha!"_ noise and scurried downstairs with her prize. "may be after Sam 'cause of me. We are gonna check it out tonight in the Ghost Zone to see who may be. . ."

Jazz cleared her throat, interrupting Danny again. He looked at her irritated. "I guess now wouldn't be the best of times to tell you that the Ghost Portal exploded earlier today."

Both of the teenage boys stared at Jazz with dropped mouths. Finally, Danny was able to strangle out. "What?"

Jazz nodded. "Mom and Dad have no idea what happened. I had come over for my break to have lunch when we heard this _BOOM_ come from the lab. By the time we got down there the portal looked pretty bad. It's not so bad that they can't fix it, it just may take some time though." She sent Danny an apologetic look.

"Now what are we supposed to do?"

**Hope you enjoyed the second chapter of my story and I hope to have another one out very soon! **

**R&R people. **

**Lotsa Love- ICR**


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